Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 693 - Chapter 693 Chapter 579 Puppet_2

Chapter 693: Chapter 579: Puppet_2 Chapter 693: Chapter 579: Puppet_2 The woman in black gauze looked at Roger and Higurashi Chika with confusion, “You’re not from around here?”

Roger nodded, “I come from the north.”

The woman did not ask further, a trace of understanding flashed in her eyes, “No wonder.”

“This festival is not for proposing marriage, it’s for selecting women for those from the Sword Pavilion. Here, Funiu is king, is heaven.”

“The creation of those paper dolls starts from the day the girls are born, with every single strand of hair on the dolls coming from the girls themselves, and there’s even a drop of Essence Blood inside the body of the dolls.”

“These paper dolls pass in succession through several areas along the river, Kujo Mountain, Waterway Pavilion, then Otoha Waterfall, with the entire river operating under special Onmyoji Techniques.”

“The paper dolls that reach the final destination have passed the selection, eligible to go up the mountain, to stay there.”

It sounds very familiar.

Roger rubbed his chin, silently thinking.

“But to tell the truth, aside from an obsession with the fairer sex, people from Funiu Sword Pavilion are pretty much flawless,” the woman said.

“Under their management, life is stable, and although there are occasional incidents of demons causing trouble, they don’t affect the overall way of life.”

“Compared to other places, it is indeed fortunate.”

“What’s more, many ordinary people hope that their daughters get chosen, as it can greatly improves the family’s living conditions.”

“Girls who have turned 16 must drop their paper dolls into the river during the Girls’ Festival on March 3. After being selected and spending two years on the mountain, they are sent back to their homes.”

“To marry and have children, normally.”

Roger listened, clicking his tongue inwardly.

Here, it seemed more like a duty for women to go up the mountain, and it wasn’t for a very long period; after two years they were just 18.

The right age for marriage and childbirth.

“Will there still be men wanting girls who have come down from the mountain?”

Yukiko listened with a puzzled face; this peculiar custom was far more exciting than any drama.

“Not only do they want them, they are scrambling to get them!”

“Most of the women who return from the mountain are still virgins, with only a few having been defiled.”

“The strangest thing is, no matter who these women marry, their descendants have a frighteningly high probability of being Cultivators.”

“Especially those who were defiled, and over time, some women just before coming down the mountain would try to figure out a way…”

At this point, the woman in black gauze closed her mouth, as discussing such matters seemed somewhat inappropriate in this world.

Everyone being adults naturally understood the implication of what she was hinting at.

“Figure out what?” Just then, Yukiko suddenly spoke up.

“Come on, tell us, what do they figure out?”

She urged earnestly.

To prevent her from uttering nonsense, Roger could only block her mouth with his hand and then signaled for the woman in black gauze to continue.

“Ptui, ptui, ptui!”

“Don’t use your… mmph…”

Yukiko struggled.

“There’s nothing more to it,” the woman in black gauze said, her expression calmer.

“You seem to know quite a lot about these things,” Higurashi Chika spoke up.

“Because many years ago, I was also chosen,” the woman replied.

“It was quite a unique experience,” she said with a sigh, clearly unwilling to elaborate further.

At this point, the crowd began to move, and, unexpectedly, the dolls were not floating downstream; the river water flowed backward, surging from low to high toward the mountain summit.

As the path coincided, Roger made no effort to diverge and followed the flow of people upwards.

Dressed up girls shouted loudly; each time they passed through an area, some were overjoyed while others were disappointed.

Even if some were eliminated, the ones who failed were not content to leave and continued forward, resulting in the winding mountain path becoming densely packed with crowds by the end.

“We’re getting close to the waterfall,” someone remarked.

The number of remaining dolls at the end wasn’t excessively large, but the atmosphere was akin to a reality show audition, with emotions pushed to the brink.

Finally, along with the current, the boats carrying the paper dolls leapt to the top of waterfall from the pool.

The crowd cheered, and the selected ones even cried out in excitement.

“I come to this event every year; seeing them reminds me of my past self,” the woman in black gauze said softly.

In this world, without power, the paths available to them were too limited.

Those two years turned into a lifetime memory for her.

The climax of the festival was over, and what remained was the selection registration, then on the appropriate day, ascent up the mountain, where it would probably be overcrowded again.

At this time, Roger had already separated from the crowd and continued upwards along the mountain path.

After exceeding a certain height, the pressure of Spiritual Power increased significantly, warning ordinary people not to rush ahead.

Walking a distance further up, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Halt, who goes there!”

Then, a burly man blocked Roger’s path.

“I come from Hankawa, a student of Sword Master Cold Crow, representing the Sword Pavilion to visit the Funiu Sword Pavilion!”

Roger said loudly.

As he spoke, he took out the token given to him by Michihiro Morita.

It was the proof of identity used by various forces during exchanges.

“Hankawa…”

“Sword Master Cold Crow?!”

The burly man’s facial expression changed; he sized up Roger several times and then showed a trace of respect on his face.

Roger couldn’t help but nod.

This was the advantage of having a powerful backing.

Once out, there was no need to act, just mentioning the name was enough to enjoy the surprised and envious gazes of others.

Showing off without form is the most lethal.

A perfectly appropriate smile appeared on Roger’s face, one that neither seemed arrogant nor failed to demonstrate strength, a nuance difficult to master.

“Eh…”

“You really have courage!”

The man suddenly spoke, but his words made Roger slightly startled.

Then he saw the man’s eyes shift from shock to sympathy.

“Becoming a student of Sword Master Cold Crow… requires a lot of courage indeed.”

Roger: …

“Lead me up the mountain!”

He reined in his smile and said coldly.

“Please follow me, I’ll take you to the resting place at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion first.”

As he spoke, Roger noticed a light flying up the mountain, likely signaling the news.

Since Aoki Kazuo’s Onmyoji Techniques had lost their effect under the pressure of Spiritual Power, Higurashi Senka put away the Paper Doll and, along with Roger, continued up the mountain.

Dong Dong Dong!

At this moment, a loud bell tolling came from the direction of the mountain peak.

“So soon, the people on the mountain already know of my arrival?” he asked with some confusion.

“Not exactly.”

The man walking ahead turned his head.

“Today is the Doll Festival, the bell tolling on the mountain, three times signifies that the number of people who passed this year exceeded expectations.”

“So we ring the bell to celebrate.”

Roger opened his mouth, deciding that for the following time, unless someone asked him, he would not speak casually.

The surrounding climate was pleasant, the air slightly moist. After walking for a while, Roger looked back downhill, where clouds and mist wafted, giving off a somewhat celestial vibe.

However, recalling the draft-like behavior he saw at the foot of the mountain not long before, Roger’s impression of this place diminished significantly.

Sordid, unbearably sordid.

Ordinary Transcendents indeed lacked restraint in such affairs, yet even those excesses did not compare to the absurdity of the Funiu Sword Pavilion.

Like the medieval nobility with their droit du seigneur, Funiu Sword Pavilion was hardly better, he thought when a voice came from ahead.

“We’re here.”

Roger looked up and then saw an over twenty-meter-long Fu Niu, carved from bluestone.

The Fu Niu was situated on the edge of a cliff, its body slightly arched, hind legs pressing against the ground ready to spring, its sharp horn as if about to pierce the heavens!

Behind the Fu Niu, there was a series of connected buildings.

Look at that grandeur.

Roger couldn’t help but purse his lips.

Now that he thought about it, Hankawa seemed to have nothing but snow and mountains, falling quite short of Funiu Sword Pavilion in all aspects.

As Roger was in contemplation, a voice reached his ears.

“You are the student of Sword Master Cold Crow?”

“Your teacher owes me a life. Why not settle that debt with your own today!”

Roger turned his head and saw a figure striding towards him, sensing the fluctuation of Spiritual Power emanating from the person, and remembering Michihiro Morita’s admonishments, Roger couldn’t help but sigh.

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